Process for regenerating electric accumulators.



outrun s "r.

CARL LUGKOW, OF (IOLGGNE, GERIviANY.

Application filed Flay 9,

Specification oi, f

:15; Patent. Patented ltfin-rchfi 19622 Serial. No, 259,620.

To all 2071 07/1 it may mnccr n:

Be 1t kncm n that I, CAhL lJL'ClCQlV, n sub-- ect ol' the German l hiut-eror, and resident of Cologne, Gornumy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Regenerating llllcctrio rmcumulstors, of which the l'ollrm'ing is at s zccillcntion.

The process protected 1y the German Patent No. 105,143 for the electrolytic recovery of insoluble or slightly soluble oxids or salts and metals or nuatslloids from insoluble oxide and so on, has-been applied to the present process for the purpose of rendering electric accumulators,"Whose capacity di- 'minishes in consequence of impurities or I shrinking of its effective mass, or for any sge battery, Whose positi other reason, in spite of overloading, sgsin susceptible to store upelectric currents, that is to say to regenerate them, at a small consumption of energy in from 1 to 2 Weeks, so that the now'very costly, troublesome and Wearisoine exchanging of rotten electrodes by new .ones is done away with, and the expenses are thereby reduced to at least one tenth. I

The process will be explained by the example given in the following: An electric storve electrodes consist of ribbed or grated plates of soft lead with lead peroxid as e filling Whose negative electrodes of ribbed or grated plates :ire'of soft or hard lead with spongy load as n filling, and Whose electrolyte consists of diluted sulfuric acid, shows adwindlingwrf the capec ity in consequence of the sulfstion of the active filling masses, that is to say pollution of the latter by sulfate oflcsd, as Well as in consequence of solidification of the spongy lead which shows itself by cracks in the mass and by the separation of the letter from its support. Instead of replacing these rotten electrode-plates by new ones and thus restoring the original capacity, this is attained in a much simpler and far more re tional and quite as sure Way by the resent process, as the some effects a perfect oosen- 111g of the shrunk mass, therefore a closing of the cracks and resteblishing of the contact With the support and also a thorough cleaning of the active mass, by rendering soluble the sulfate of lead. In this way the'sulfuric acid is first pumped out of the cells, and after it sufficient dripping of the electrodes the bottoms of the cells are, as far as possible, disacidified by bein rinsed with water. The

cells-are then'filled with a Watery solution.

g of ubmit l to '2 per cent. of sulfeto'of potassium, sodium or .inzignesium or the carbonslcs, borntes or hydroxide of pots-s'siun i or sodium, or a mixture of the carbonates, borstes or hydroxids with the sulfate of potossin or sodium as an electrolyte; there is t he remarked here that the carbonate, horn c or hydroxld of potnssiuni or sodium p: over into the sulfate of potassium or sodium immediately on entering the cells, by the sulfuric acid remaining in the some l and. especially in the electrodes, but in nny case in the course of the process by the dis integration of the plumbic sulfate, so'thst the" sulfate of potassium or sodium forms at all events the most important electrolytic salt, the carbonateborste or hydroxid of potsssiunr or sodium is therefore merely used for the binding or neutralizing of the free or nascent sulfuric acid, as the electro-v lyte also in the course of the electrolysis may only become slightly scid.

' According to the degree of the rottenness, or of the dwindling of the capacity, of the electrodes, the latter are subjected as-follows to the electrolysis with a current density of from 20 to ubout'50 amperes per square meter of positive electrode surface, with a. tension of bath of, on an average, 2 volts: At

first the current passes the cells or respec-' tively the battery for about 4: to 8 days in c direction the opposite of that of a charge, so that thenegetive pole plates become anodes end the positive-pole plates cathodes; during this time the solidified and sulfntized spongy lead is, on the one hand, changed into pure plumbic peroxid, while perfectly closing the cracks and establishing the contact with its supports, and, on the other hand, the sulftblZBd plumbic peroxid is changed into pure spongy lead; in consequence of the sulfate being disintegrated its nascent sulfuric acid is dissolved and is accumulated in the elec trolyte, whereby its prepondersting or at least almostncutral and, in rare cases, feebly alkaline reaction is changed into a feebly acid reaction. Then the poles are inverscd again, and in another 3 to about 6 days the PlLiHllJiC peroxid is, on the one hand, changed m. el

lili) cgain into pure, loose, spongy lead and, on

the other, thespongy lead into pure plurnbic peroxid, whereby the regeneration is tinished. The solution of salt is therefore caused to run out of the cells and the letter are filled again, as soon as possible, with sul luric acid. With the second oil-third discharge after the sulfuric acid has again tho n oughly saturated the active masses, the

standard capacity is, as a rule attained.

I The amounts of salt mentioned in the description of the example for. carrying out the process relate to salts free of water. The method described in the exam le has roven tobe the best and mostrapi but so utions containing'rnore than 2 percent. ofsalt may be used and a good result obtained. Experiments' have, however, shown that the saltsolutions must not be stronger than 5'pe r cent. if itis desired toget; a satisfactory result. It will thus be'seen that the main feature of the new invention consists in using electrolyte-substances as electrolytes in astrong Watery solution hydrolytic dissociation of the dissolved substances is of as high degree asiossible, while the solutions have still a mgforce of the galvanic current at and in the electrodes on which, of course, the formation condensed lead toforrn spongy lead.

fore, 4 5

of oxide or active mass exclusively'depends,

increases in the same proportion asthe density of theelectrolyte decreases. Only with strongly diluted electrolyte is it 'possibleto thoroughly convert lead sulfates intolead super-oxid andispongyflead and to loosen When a concentrated electrolyte is used,- this action takes place only on the surface. Therethe mere use of a watery solution,-for instance,

"ytrol te'does not accomplish the purpose, as

in t is case, it isnot the sort of electrolyte- A,

substance but only the dilution of-the' same,

that is to say, not the salt hiebut only in which the electrolytic or ures.

the electrolyte is the stronger an acid reac: tion is permissible The free sulfuric acid of sodium sulfate (Na SQ as ,elec-' the density of its watery solution, that brings the result. The electrolyte, therefore, must not contain more than 1% to 3% at an average and under no circumstances more than 5% dissolved electrolyte-sub-' stance, the latter always relating'to neutral salt without water. As electrolyte substances, the saltsincluding hydroxids-of the so-called light metals in asfar as their being soluble in'waterand their chemical properties permits of their being used, are generally useful.

A strong sulfuric acid reaction of the electrolytes is to be avoided by partial or com plete renewal of the same, or by dilution of the same with water, or by neutralization with the carbonate or hydroxid of potassium or sodium in their correspondingly strong watery solutions, or-b Y other suitable Ineas- Generally spealn'ng' the more diluted (free of water) must however at the most amount to about 10 grams in each liter of the electrolyte.

What I claim as my invention anddesire to secure by United States Letters Patent is- 1. The process of regenerating electric accumulators which consists in subjectin the electrodes to electrolysis in a greatly diluted non-acid electrolyte.

2. The process of regenerating electric ac-.

cumulators, which consists in subjecting the electrodes to electrolysis in a watery solution containing 1 to'5v% of a non-acidic electrolyte substance.

3. The process of regenerating electric ac- 'cumulators, which consists in subjecting the electrodes to electrolysis in a greatly diluted electrolyte of a neutral salt of a li%ht 4. The process of regenerating e ectric accumulators, which consists in subjecting the electrodes to electrolysis in a dilute solution of a neutral electrolytic substance.

In testimony whereof I affix m si atnre.

' CARL L 0 (WV. In the .presence of f v WILLIAM KUEPPERS, Ton SCHOLEY. w

metal 

